Mary Kimm

Mary Kimm is an award-winning journalist, opinion writer and editor inspiring excellence and change in media for more than 20 years. As publisher of the newspaper group, she has led operations as well as news and editorial, recently leading Connection Newspapers to the Virginia Press Association Award for Journalistic Integrity and Community Service.

Mary Kimm is editor of the Connection Newspapers, serving the suburbs of Washington, D.C., including the City of Alexandria and the City of Fairfax, Fairfax County and Arlington County in Virginia, as well as parts of Montgomery County, Md. The papers have won hundreds of press awards for investigative reporting, public service, editorial writing, news, election coverage, projects, features, sports, design, photography and more during Kimm’s tenure, all in an ever tightening economic environment. Kimm has worked at the newspaper chain in a variety of roles since 1989.

Winner of multiple awards in editorial writing and public service in the Virginia Press Association and the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association, Kimm’s editorials have been cited in local efforts to end homelessness and increase government transparency.

Mary Kimm serves on the Governing Board of the Fairfax-Falls Church Partnership to Prevent and End Homelessness, and on the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington Fairfax Region.She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Media in Democracy Institute and numerous community organizations, including the Potomac Chamber of Commerce.

Kimm holds degrees in Economics and Political Science from Swarthmore College. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1955, she is the mother of two PhD scientists. She has also worked in banking, real estate and education. Interests include kayaking, the Potomac River, birding, photography and horseback riding.

Secrecy around police shootings has been a problem for at least a decade.

The official position of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on the need for changes in policy after the shooting of John Geer by police in Springfield in August of 2013 appears to be that this is the first time police policies have been a problem:
“Policies for handling police-involved incidents, which served us well for decades, were inadequate in this complicated situation.”

Supervisors should take action, not defer to “outside expert,” on absurd and outrageous behavior of police department.

Finally, now that the Fairfax County Police Department has taken stonewalling into the arena of the absurd, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has at least said it is time for change. It is a step, but a step that continues the appearance of obfuscation if not outright obstruction.

The appearance of gas for under $2 a gallon at the new Liberty gas station at 442 North Henry St. in Alexandria attracted enough attention that regular ran dry while this photographer was trying to fill the tank.

A fast moving storm dumped a few inches of snow on Potomac and the rest of the region beginning before dawn and continuing through the rush hour on Tuesday, Jan. 6, bringing 4-6 inches of snow in some places, more than predicted, with temperatures in the 20s.

A message of peace and joy.

Merry Christmas. It’s a magical time of year, and perhaps Connection Newspapers has over indulged in displaying the many rituals of Christmas on our pages in the past few weeks. In events around the area, a sense of community has infused holiday parades, Christmas tree lightings, menorah lightings, choral performances, singing of carols and other traditional events with warmth and joy.